OPEN FORUM :
RELEVANT ISSUES HIGHLIGHTED
FOR IMPLEMENTATION PROCESSES IN NORTH EAST INDIA

After the speaker’s session, the Open Forum created the space for interaction and inputs form all participants on the HIV/AIDS media situation and ways to improve it in the region.
The Open Forum session was moderated by Dr. S. I. Ahmed, HIV / AIDS expert and Chairman Aids Prevention Society, Guwahati.

Issues raised concerning IEC – SACS :

1. Need to define a methodology for IEC material production
2. Need for production of correct messaging
3. Need for greater publication level in comparison to dedicated financial support
4. Need for the translation of IEC materials into local languages
5. Need for HIV/AIDS glossary of terminology in each of the main local languages
6. IEC officers are often not available to give information 
7. IEC SACS should bring out quarterly newsletter
8. Manipur and Mizoram SACS raised that they involve Positive Networks and benefit from reduced rates for telecast on AIR (50%)  Other SACS should made similar efforts for media outreach
9. Initiative is to come from SACS
10. Need for greater involvement of women organizations : included in NACP III for IEC to generate appropriate behaviour change.
11. IEC is not only for mass media but also supportive interpersonal communications

Issues raised concerning ADVOCACY

 - Acknowledgement by SACS that sensitization of media people and advocacy makes a difference:  when advocacy meetings were organized, media picked up issues, later this made a difference
-   SACS should bargain more -- giving ads to the media versus publication of a news story
 - Need for greater involvement of faith based and women and children organisations in the response to HIV/AIDS (and law   enforcement agencies, interfacing with the media). Their exposure to the media is little.
 
Issues raised concerning INFORMATION OUTREACH

1. There is a big gap between SACS, media and government departments
2. Need for a platform for positive persons, IEC–SACS, DIPRs who together should take the initiative for discussion.
3. the time has come for second generation treatment messaging
4. need to speak more about the patent issue since it is a question of life and death for so many people

Issues raised concerning MEDIA AND NACO

• issue of confusion about statistics in the media due to different data resources (even NGOs publish their own data on limited surveys)
  
  
• Need for a collective assessment and a competent and credible authority for disseminating that data (maybe it should be NACO and no other agency) 
  
  
• Media should be encouraged / motivated to endorse NACO statements and statistics the Intermedia Publicity Coordination Committee (IMPCC) exists but SACS have not found their way into this important mechanism. Therefore, SACS and PLHIVs should be represented in this committee (already  the case in Mizoram)
  
  
• The representation should be in true spirit not just for forms.

INPUT FORMS : STATE-WISE HIGHLIGHTS OF FEEDBACK
ON UNADDRESSED ISSUES AND UNDER-SERVED SEGMENTS

In each State, the following issues have been highlighted by the NGOs and Networks of PLHIV as unaddressed or underserved by the media :

In Assam:

• IDU
• Women
• Children
• Paediatric medication

In Arunachal Pradesh:

• All except Prevention 

In Manipur:

• All except Prevention
• Treatment and Home Care

In Meghalaya:

• Children
• Treatment
• Care

In Mizoram:

• Women
• Care
• Treatment

In Nagaland:

• All except Prevention

In Tripura:

• Children
• Care
• Support

SOME SPECIFIC ISSUES MENTIONED BY IEC-SACS AND DIPRs
Some important points have emanated from the discussions and the input forms:

Directorates of Information & Public Relations:

• mostly concentrate on disseminating information of ministries headed by the Chief Minister
• disseminate information on HIV / AIDS whenever asked to do so by the Government or by SACS
• believe personal interaction, media lounges, press conferences, training in media intervention and NGO lobbying can ensure an adequate response to the epidemic

IEC at SACS

• generally update IEC material once a year
• in some states, particularly in denial ,  do not change content on the basis of feedback
• have budgetary constraints that affect quality, quantity and outreach of IEC material
• usually meet the same positive people in the course of official interaction